Rockmelt Ceasing Distribution Of Social Browser; Going Web-Based Instead

Rockmelt. Ever heard of it? If you were paying attention a couple of years ago, that name may sound familiar, but otherwise -- the answer is likely "no." The company stormed onto the scene with an attempt to launch a Web browser that focused first on social. And it promptly went nowhere. Now, the company is updating us all on the Rockmelt desktop browser. It's essentially killing the idea, and instead suggesting that interested parties try out Rockmelt For Web.


The company has said that "distributing a desktop browser is hard and expensive (especially if you don’t have an operating system or the world’s most trafficked website to promote it)," and no the approach is different. The Web-based interface takes less resources to keep alive, and can be used in any modern browser. Users are encouraged to bookmark rockmelt.com for a similar experience using Chrome, Firefox, IE or Safari, and honestly, the company may get more reach this way. It's mighty tough to break into the browser market, but getting people to frequent a site is a far less daunting chore.